How to Save Instagram Videos on iPhone and Android (Step by Step)
Updated August 13, 2026
Almost everyone saves Instagram videos on their phone — which is where the process gets fiddly, because iPhone and Android handle downloaded media differently. This is the phone-first walkthrough: the same short link-and-paste flow, with the device-specific save step spelled out so the file ends up somewhere you can actually find it.
Get the link first (both phones)
Open the Instagram video or Reel, tap the three-dot menu (or the paper-plane share icon), and choose Copy link. That link is all the downloader needs. It only works for public accounts — posts from private accounts can’t be saved by any external tool.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open Safari and go to our Instagram downloader.
- Paste the link and press Download.
- Choose your quality.
- When iOS previews the video, tap the share icon and choose Save to Files, or long-press the video and tap Save to send it to Photos.
The step that trips people up is that iOS often opens the MP4 in a preview tab instead of saving it automatically. That is normal — the share sheet is how you commit it to Photos or Files. Once it is in Photos you can trim, share or set it as a wallpaper like any other clip.
On Android
- Open Chrome (or your browser) and go to the downloader.
- Paste the link and press Download.
- Choose your quality and confirm the save.
- The MP4 lands in your Downloads folder and appears in the Gallery within a few seconds.
If your browser asks for save permission the first time, allow it once and every future download is a single tap. Some phones file the clip in a “Downloads” album in the Gallery rather than the main camera roll — check there if it isn’t obvious.
If the download doesn’t start
Two checks fix almost everything. First, confirm you copied the post link from the three-dot menu, not a screenshot. Second, make sure the account is public — private posts can’t be downloaded. Re-copy the link and try once more.
Save responsibly
Keeping a clip for yourself or saving your own post is fine. Re-uploading someone else’s video as your own or using it commercially without permission is not. When in doubt, credit the creator and ask. See our disclaimer for the details.
The short version
Copy the post link, paste it into the Instagram downloader, and use the share sheet (iPhone) or Downloads folder (Android) to save it. For Reels specifically, see our guide to downloading Instagram Reels.